Caddy Emblem Overhaul

It appears that Cadillac may be about to eliminate the famous laurel wreath from its logo, according to recent reports in Automotive News. More than just losing the traditional wreath however, it also looks like Cadillac may unveil a completely new logo on a concept car to be displayed at next month’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California. Apparently the wreath has been seen as an outdated and obsolete design element in Cadillac customer focus groups. As a result, the next generation Cadillac logo is likely to be a single-piece logo consisting of a sleeker crest without the wreath. A one-piece logo is hoped to give designers more flexibility with the shape of all future Cadillacs, although some inside the company maintain that a new logo would not appear on any new cars prior to the 2015 model year.

The move would be the first major change to the logo in over a decade when it was last re-engineered in 1999 to project a more contemporary look and signal a departure from a legacy of producing luxurious, but old-fashioned looking cars. The original Cadillac emblem was inspired by the family coat of arms of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit in the early 1700s. The logo has changed some 40 times during the brand’s 111-year history, and this will not be the first time the wreath has been removed.

It’s no secret that Cadillac has been working to develop more products aimed at younger buyers and has embraced a high-tech approach to engineering and performance that has been evolving away from sharp edges to more-sculpted styling elements. The changes are obvious when looking at Cadillac’s recent concept cars and they have also been reflected in production cars starting with the first-generation CTS sedans and XLR coupes. A new, single-piece logo could require dealers and the entire Cadillac sales organization to adopt new signage, but Cadillac maintains that nothing has been set in stone yet and that all plans are subject to change. Along with Cadillac’s potential logo change, Chevrolet is also making some emblem news of its own this year with the 100th anniversary of the Chevy bowtie logo. Congratulations to both marques are in order.